Red River Gorge Guidebooks

Miller Fork Climbing (2015)

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The Miller Fork Recreational Preserve (MFRP) was purchased in 2012 by the Red River Gorge Climbers' Coalition (RRGCC). The 309-acre preserve has been developed to include a wide variety of over 300 excellent climbing routes for climbers of all levels.

Cathedral Domain Website

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Website has a trail map and an Excel file containing the route lists and descriptions

FEATURED: Red River Gorge Trad

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Long before the first power drill arrived in the Red River Gorge, there was rock climbing. Bold locals explored the region’s sculpted sandstone, finding soaring cracks, free-standing towers, and utterly wild multi-pitch adventure routes hidden in the deep woods. These fine climbs are still out there, offering a completely different experience than the over-chalked holds and hectic crowd scenes you find at the Red’s popular sport crags. This book is your guide to that other world.

$1 from each book sold will be donated to the Red River Gorge Climber’s Coalition.

RRG Climbing

FEATURED: THE RED 2nd Edition

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Covers all sport climbing crags in the Red along with trad climbs within those sport climbing areas. This is currently the most up to date book.

Best of the Red (2017)

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The Red River Gorge is one of the premier sport climbing destinations in the world. This guidebook offers the most complete coverage of sport climbing in the entire region in a single volume. From the northern crags, to the southern crags, Muir Valley, Miller Fork and all that lies between, Best of the Red offers comprehensive coverage of the best crags the Red has to offer.

Within a compact 176 pages, a staggering 1271 rock climbs are carefully described at 46 of the crags scattered amongst the hollows of the Red River Gorge. Featuring 14 beautifully rendered maps, 322 marked topo photos, clear and concise access and route descriptions, this book will get you there, roped up and ready to tackle your climb with not a moment lost.

This guidebook features stunning action photography that will get you dreaming about your Red River Gorge climbing adventure. Best of the Red has a classy no-nonsense design with functionality built in to its core to help you get down to business and make the best of your time in the Red.

Red River Gorge Select (2018)

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The best climbs at the entire Red River Gorge, all in one volume!

Visiting the Red and need a quick list of classics? On a budget and want to buy one book instead of three? Own all three but want a quick reference to the best climbs for a quick trip? Or do you love collecting sweet climbing guidebooks and need to see more inspiring action photos? Then Red River Gorge Select is perfect for you! The Red River Gorge has over 3,000 routes, and Red Select presents enough classics to fill a lifetime of weekend fun. With over 54 crag’s worth of routes, you’ll have plenty of areas to choose from if you need to escape crowds, rain, or cold.

Inside the book find handy icons to help plan your day: driving times, walking times, sun exposure, rain protection, and even kid friendliness. You will quickly learn how many routes there are, their grades, and percentage of sport vs trad climbs. GPS coordinates and detailed approach directions help you find your destination easily. Now all there is to do is climb!

Red River Gorge Rock Climbs South, 5th Edition (2017)

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The Red River Gorge of Kentucky is one of the most enjoyable places in the world to climb. The Red River and its many tributaries have carved dozens of secluded canyons into the hill country south of Lexington, creating a natural wonderland and exposing a ridiculous amount of rock. The cliffs of the Red feature over 3000 routes, from traditional cracks to modern sport climbs, 5.4 to 5.14. More than enough to go around! But what makes Red River Gorge climbing unique is the wildly featured Corbin sandstone. Simply put, it’s made to climb. The walls tend to be super-steep, but the holds are large and plentiful. You don’t have to climb 5.12 get on crazy-steep rock here! Of course, if harder sport climbs are your thing, there is a lifetime’s worth here. It is the most popular place on the eastern US to work your way up the grades.

This book, Volume 2 of a two-volume series (South and North), covers the crags located south of the Mountain Parkway (for the North, click here). Fully revised, it describes over 1500 routes, 400 of them new for this edition. Entirely new zones include Flat Hollow, Bear’s Den, and New Zoo, with new routes at famed RRG favorites such as Muir Valley and the Motherlode.

Red River Gorge Rock Climbs North (2015)

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The Red River Gorge of Kentucky is one of the most enjoyable places in the world to climb. The Red River and its many tributaries have carved dozens of secluded canyons into the hill country south of Lexington, creating a natural wonderland and exposing a ridiculous amount of rock. The cliffs of the Red feature over 3000 routes, from traditional cracks to modern sport climbs, 5.4 to 5.14. More than enough to go around! But what makes Red River Gorge climbing unique is the wildly featured Corbin sandstone. Simply put, it’s made to climb. The walls tend to be super-steep, but the holds are large and plentiful. You don’t have to climb 5.12 get on crazy-steep rock here! Of course, if harder sport climbs are your thing, there is a lifetime’s worth here. It is the most popular place on the eastern US to work your way up the grades.

This book, Volume 1 of a two-volume series (North and South), covers the crags located north of the Mountain Parkway (for the South, click here). This region includes some of the Red’s most classic, historic cliffs, such as Military Wall, Left Flank, Long Wall, and Funk Rock City. Don’t miss it!